LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men's soccer team has been selected to finish in a tie for third in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference this season according to the PSAC Preseason Coaches poll released by the league office Friday.

The PSAC will have a new look this fall after league officials and coaches agreed to disband the divisional format in favor of a singular conference setup for 2010. Rather than having an Eastern and Western division, the 10 teams in the league will now play each other once during the regular season. Based on a points system that awards three points for a win and one point for a tie, the top four teams in the league will advance to the playoffs.

The Rock, who are the defending PSAC champions, received one first-place vote and trail preseason favorite Mercyhurst and Millersville in the poll. The Lakers received seven first-place votes while the Marauders garnered two first-place nods. East Stroudsburg received no first-place votes but finished in a tie for third with SRU.

California (Pa.) ranked fifth in the poll, followed by Gannon, Bloomsburg, West Chester, Lock Haven and Shippensburg.

Slippery Rock posted its best season in school history last year with an 18-4-1 record and a trip to the NCAA Round of 16. The Rock will enter the 2010 season with a new look under first year head coach Michael Bonelli, who replaced Matt Thompson during the summer.

The Rock returns 17 players that were on the roster last season, including two All-Americans, but will be without the services of the program's top scorer over the last four seasons, Jeremy Deighton. A first team All-American and two-time conference Player of the Year, Deighton graduated in May and is now playing professionally with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.

Leading the way for the returners will be a solid defensive core, anchored by All-American seniors Greg Blum in goal and Thomas Pool at the center back position. Blum posted a 17-4-1 record last season with a 0.94 goals against average and a .829 save percentage. Pool added a scoring threat from the defense, netting three goals and handing out one assist.

Also returning on defense are juniors Patrick Conley and Alex Swartz, who were each starters that contributed to the offensive output of the team. Conley netted three goals and handed out two assists while Swartz scored three goals and added one helper.

The midfield will also be strong with three starters returning from last season. Senior Toby Bowser finished the year with two goals and team-high nine assists to rank fourth in scoring. Anthony Paganie, who served as team captain last year, scored one goal and added five assists. Mitchell Walters was the only player on the team to start in every game last season, anchoring the defensive effort of the midfield while scoring one goal and adding two assists.

Kenneth Fultz is the top returning forward from the 2009 squad. Fultz had a breakout year as a sophomore, finishing second on the team in scoring with six goals and four assists.

Other strong returners include backup goalkeeper Timothy White, who appeared in five games and made one start as a freshman. White earned the win in his only start and allowed no goals and made eight saves in 201 minutes of action. Also returning are sophomores Michael Ramirez and Tynan Smith. Ramirez appeared in 18 games as a freshman, tallying one assist, while Smith appeared in 13 games and also had one assist. Senior #R.J. Case# appeared in 18 games and made two starts, while sophomore Christian McChesney saw action in 12 games.

Joining the returning 17 players from last season will be five freshman and two sophomores.

Sophomore goalkeeper Clayton Master, who played in 2008, returns to the team after sitting out last season. Fellow sophomore Thomas Morocco attended SRU last year, but did not play.

Freshmen Zach Hall, Thad Madzelonka, Steve Hamilton, Dane Azeles and Frank Maiolo are all set to begin their collegiate careers with The Rock.

SRU's schedule will open at the Shippensburg University Tournament Sept. 3-5. The Rock will face Washington Adventist Sept. 3 and the University of Charleston Sept. 5. Charleston defeated SRU 3-2 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last year.

The first home game, which is also the conference opener, is set for Sept. 8 when Millersville travels to Slippery Rock for a rematch of last season's conference championship game.

The schedule features 18 regular season games, including eight at home. The regular season finale is set for Oct. 30, with the PSAC playoffs beginning the first week of November and the NCAA Tournament beginning the second week of November.


2010 PSAC Men's Soccer Preseason Coaches Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)

1. Mercyhurst (7)
2. Millersville (2)
T3. Slippery Rock (1)
T3. East Stroudsburg
5. California (Pa.)
6. Gannon
7. Bloomsburg
8. West Chester
9. Lock Haven
10. Shippensburg